The Echo
by Miss Stella Black
Summary: The Master (now calling himself Koschei) stumbles upon a girl with Clara's face in 1940's America. Is she the one he loves? Or is she a pale imitation of Clara Oswald ... an echo? [Sequel to Lunatic!] {Virtual cookies and lots of love to all reviewers :) }
1. 1943 World's Fair

**Author's Note: I finally posting this! Having written most of** ** _The Echo_** **, I plan to update at least once a week. If you're new to my stories, you should know that this is a sequel (sort of) to my other Osdrum story,** ** _Lunatic._** **I would recommend clicking back to my profile (just click on my name, Miss Stella Black) to read that story first, otherwise you may be a bit confused.**

 **I want to take the time to thank LadyLini for beta reading/editing this story. Your help is much appreciated. (:**

 **A special note: This is a sequel, but it's sort of confusing. It could be called an extended alternate ending to** ** _Lunatic_** **as well. The story starts in the middle of Chapter 27 of Lunatic, after the page break. Instead of the story ending with their reunion, it branches off to this story.**

 **Without further adieu, I give you this long awaited fan fiction,** ** _The Echo_**

He was following her advice. The Master traveled the universe, _exploring_ , rather than attempting conquer. He had been let out of prison and given a job in the scientific wing of the citadel. After months of secret planning, he had managed to escape Gallifrey with a faulty Type 35 TARDIS. However, he was becoming restless, itching to cause trouble. He'd considered taking a companion, like the Doctor, but Clara was the only one he wanted to travel with. He missed her terribly. Searching for her was fruitless. Every time he'd tried to get to the early 21st century Earth, he'd always end up somewhere else entirely. The navigation wasn't actually all that bad—anywhere else, and he'd arrive right on time. He wondered if the TARDIS had a mind to keep him away from her. He wondered if perhaps Clara was better off without him, and the TARDIS knew it...

And then, quite unexpectedly, he saw her. It was crowded at the 1943 World's Fair in Queens, New York City, and he'd done a double take when he glanced at her. Joy flooded him, but it was quickly replaced with bewilderment—what was Clara doing here, clinging to the arm of some handsome uniformed guy? She looked so happy; she looked so at home. He supposed she must be traveling with the Doctor here, but something seemed off. And who was that man she was with? The Master supposed he could be another companion the Doctor had picked up, but if he were, why would he be wearing the same uniform he'd seen quite a few young men wearing? Besides, he didn't have the air of companion they all seemed to share. Clara didn't either, he suddenly noticed. There was something else though. Something similar, but different. Was it one of those echoes she had mentioned when she told him about having been split into a million different parts? But it couldn't be ... there was no sign of the Doctor needing saving here.

He watched her, observed her, for the next couple of days. It was strange. She seemed to be a normal 1940's girl. She didn't do anything out of the ordinary. He had trouble believing that she could be an echo, thinking she might be an entirely different person. He'd heard her speak in an American accent for goodness sake! Why would the echoes speak differently? But then he'd seen a woman call out to her on the street, using her name ... So it had to be her, right? And besides, he reminded himself, he knew very little about how echoes of people worked... for all he knew, she _would_ be completely different.

Eventually, he decided to confront her in a cafe she frequented. Sliding into the chair across from her, he hoped she wasn't meeting anyone today. "Hello," he greeted, smiling at her nervously.

"You," she responded, narrowing her eyes and leaning in a little. "Finally polite enough to come out and say hello." She fixed him with a disapproving gaze.

"Wh-what?" he stammered. "You recognize me?" His hearts beat faster as he took in the impossible. Did she actually remember him? How could she? She couldn't possibly be the original Clara! The Doctor was nowhere in sight, and she didn't look like she was trying to adapt to a different time.

She nodded, smirking a little at his surprise. "Yeah. You've been following me for like three days, buster. That or you've been coincidently in the same place as me over and over again. Working up the courage to ask me something, eh?"

Her words stung. He could feel the disappointment in the pit of stomach. Of course she didn't remember him. It was impossible. Completely impossible. He nodded to her. "Yeah, uhm... okay. I'm trying to wrap my head around this. Do you know why you're here?"

Clara raised an eyebrow. That wasn't the question she'd been expecting. She'd been expecting him to ask her on a date or something. "What do you mean? I've lived in this city all my life. Why wouldn't I be here?"

"I don't know!" he protested, "You're supposed to be British! What's with the American accent?"

"What?" she answered, scooting back. "What is wrong with you? I've barely even left the state! What in the world are you going on about?"

The Master shook his head, sighing. "I'm not making any sense, am I? You probably haven't even met the Doctor yet. I'm sorry for wasting your time," he said, his voice and hearts heavy as he stood up. He looked away as he stood, determined she wouldn't see the tears that had jumped to his eyes.

"Did-did you just say the Doctor?" she stammered, her eyes wide.

He whipped around, blinking rapidly to clear his eyes. Reclaiming his seat, he cracked a smile. "So you do know him," he breathed. "You've traveled with him, yes?"

"Traveled with him? Oh how I wish." She smiled wistfully, but she was overjoyed to have somebody else know about the Doctor.

"You ... what? Explain," he requested.

She quirked an eyebrow. "You first, lunatic man. Starting with your name. I'm Clara Oswin Oswald by the way." She reached a hand out across the table to shake.

Instead of shaking it, he took it and gently kissed it, causing a blush to rush up her cheeks. "Clara Oswin," he repeated with a smile.

She nodded. "I go by my first and middle ... And you forgot to mention your name."

"Right, sorry," he said, deciding at that moment not to call himself the Master. "I'm Koschei."

Clara Oswin grinned. "Is that British?" she half-joked.

He snorted. "No, not in the least bit."

"Too bad. The Doctor's British, I think."

He shook his head, laughing. "The Doctor's no more British than I am, Clara Oswin."

"He's not? He really seemed like it. Of course I've never been to England ... Are you sure he's not British?"

He nodded. "Positive. We grew up together. We attended Academy together. We were best friends for years, Clara Oswin. I would know."

"Alright," she granted, "Where are you from then?"

"Gallifrey."

"Galli-whatsit? That's not on any of my maps," she told him, scrunching up her nose in disbelief.

He sucked his cheeks in, thinking about how adorable she looked when she did that. Goodness had he missed her. "Oh Clara," he murmured under his breath, too low for her to hear. Louder, he told her, "Gallifrey. It's, ah, out of this world."

"That good, eh? Is it a tiny island? I've studied my maps a million times. I can't see how I would be able to miss a country with a name like that..." she trailed off, trying to picture the collection of maps she kept just in case she ever did get to see the world like she so longed to.

He chuckled. "No. I mean, it's literally out of this world. It's an entire planet."

She raised her eyebrows. "Don't be daft, Koschei. I'm not going to believe that one."

"I'll prove it to you," he insisted.

Clara Oswin laughed. "And how are you going to do that? What do you have a spaceship you can take me to Gallifrey in?"

He shook his head, biting his lip. "I'm definitely not going to take you to Gallifrey. I'm sort of not allowed back for the time being. But I could take you anywhere else in the universe you'd like," he told her with earnest.

"Anywhere, eh?"

"Anywhere in all of time and space."

"Hmmmm," she hummed, her eyes lit up even though she didn't really believe he could do it. "Get me into a yacht club party."

"A what-sit?"

"A yacht club party." She giggled, repeating herself. "It's a fancy party on a yacht. They always sounded so elegant and magical. I've always wanted to go to one, but I haven't the connections to do so."

Koschei grinned. It hadn't been what he was thinking, but it sounded like fun. "Well, Miss Clara Oswin, I think I'm going to be all the connection you need to get into that party."

She laughed. "Oh really? Who do you know?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "Mmmm, I don't know. Might have to make something up."

"Okay," Clara Oswin said, unable to wipe the grin off her face. Something about the man before her seemed trustworthy, like she knew he would never deceive her ... even though he was spouting off nonsense about other planets. She couldn't help almost believing him. Sure, it was a bit odd that he had been following her around, but she supposed it had something to do with the Doctor ... and while she found the man before her quite handsome, her main concern for the moment was to find out more about the man whose life she had saved two years before.

Koschei nodded and forced himself to stand up. "It's a date then?"

She nodded, the excitement bubbling. "I think there's one this Friday night off the peer."

"Perfect," he spoke, echoing her tone. "I shall pick you up at six in the evening?"

"I'll see you then," Clara Oswin said, her tone a little flirtatious.

He breathed out softly and nodded before making his way to the door. The confusion stirred within him, but he realized he was on thin ice, and he didn't want to scare her off. If he did, he wasn't sure he could go on.

 **A/N: Review if you want to make me smile! :) (or if you wanted to tell me you hated it. Whatevs)**


	2. Night We Snuck into a Yacht Club Party

On Friday, Clara Oswin sat in front of her vanity, applying her make-up and giggling with her best friend Nicole about the handsome young man she was going out with tonight. She jumped when she heard the doorbell ring, and she ran down the stairs to open the door before their house mother could.

There he was, dressed in a sharp suit and tie, his mouth hanging open at the sight of her. "Yowzah," he voiced, his eyes tracing her body from the top to the bottom. "You look outstanding."

"Thank you." She blushed, running her finger nervously down the side of her elegant red dress. They stood there in silence for a moment, drinking each other in, before Clara Oswin broke it with an awkward cough.

"So, uhm, shall we get going?" he asked, offering her an arm.

She took it and nodded. "Yes, let's."

The couple walked for a spell, and then just as they were about to turn the corner, Koschei had the bright idea to gently cover her eyes with his hands.

"What are you doing?" she asked, giggling a little in her confusion.

"Oh, don't you worry, Clara Oswin. I'll let you see in a moment."

"Alright," she agreed softly. She heard a door open and shut as they walked, and then he removed his hands. "Whoa," she breathed, turning around in a circle to take in her surroundings. They stood in a large octagonal room bathed in blue light. The walls had strange circles lining them, and a staircase looked to lead out of the room. In the center stood what looked like some sort of circular control panel that had buttons going all around it.

"Is this your home? Did you forget to pick something up that we need to get into the party?" she asked curiously.

Koschei shrugged, charging up to the control console, flipping a couple switches and pushing a few buttons. "You could say that," he said noncommittally.

Clara Oswin narrowed her eyes, beginning to be a little concerned. "What exactly is going on, Koschei?"

He glanced back at her, standing there with her arms crossed as the TARDIS slid effortlessly into hyperspace and back out again without a hint of trouble. She looked worried and little bit scared, which in turn scared Koschei. He had felt nervous about using the TARDIS to transport them, but had decided to do it because he couldn't get a hold of a car. Not that he had tried that hard ... At the moment he was kind of wishing he had.

He breathed out coolly. "Ahm, not much ..." He gave her a smile and made his way over to the door, holding out a hand to her. She looked at it wearily, but after a moment took it anyway and allowed herself to be lead out the door.

As they stepped outside, she gasped. Before her stood the ocean and an enormous yacht, from which could be heard a glorious band playing the waltz. "What ... How did we?" she trailed in shock, looking up at Koschei for answers.

He simply smiled and shrugged again. "A magician never reveals his tricks," he told her with a wink.

She gaped at him for a moment or two more before laughing in glee. "Alright, fine, mystery man. Now we're here, you've got to get us in, haven't you?" Clara Oswin was amazed at the fact that they had arrived in such an ... unknown way, but she still doubted that they would be able to get in.

Koschei gave her a wild grin. "Oh, but my dear, that is the easiest part!"

She laughed, shaking her head. "If you say so ... how are we going to do it?"

He took her hand gently in his. "Just follow my lead." And that she did, as they walked down the boardwalk and onto the plank to get onto the ship.

A sharply dressed man with a pen and notepad stopped them. "Names, please."

"Prince Koschei Oakdown of Gallifrey, and this is the Lady Duchess Clara Oswin," he told him with utmost confidence, staring deeply into his eyes. Little did Clara Oswin know that he had come by earlier and hypnotized him, commanding him to let him in later with his date, no questions asked.

Clara Oswin looked at Koschei in awe as the man smiled absently and waved them through. "Enjoy your night," he told them.

"How did you do that?" she whispered to him covertly as they walked aboard. "He let us in without any trouble!"

He grinned at her. "I have a certain way with people."

She stopped suddenly, turning to face him. "Wait a moment, you aren't _really_ a prince, are you?"

"Oh no, definitely not." He shook his head with a chuckle.

"Then how..." She didn't finish her sentence because he gave her an amused look that clearly said he wasn't explaining any further. "Alright, fine. You were right." She twisted a little, starting to sway to the music. Clara Oswin was confused, but she couldn't help but be delighted at the same time. Here she was at a yacht club party, standing next to an incredibly mysterious, yet handsome man. She looked around at all the people, dressed in gorgeous gowns and suits. Clara Oswin glanced back at Koschei. "Thank you. This is incredible."

He bit his lip, a tear pricking to his eye. He was in just as much awe and joy as she, although it had nothing to do with the magnificent party at hand. Koschei swallowed softly and blinked it away. "Well, Miss Clara Oswin, the night has just began..." He trailed off, feeling incredibly nervous despite his calm exterior. "Will you do the honor of dancing with me?"

She smiled graciously. "But of course! What kind of party would it be if we didn't dance?"

He nodded and extended his hand for her to take. "My thoughts exactly."

Clara Oswin giggled and took it, and he spun her into a fast paced swing dance, spinning her around the floor as if she were as light as a feather. When that dance ended, they were caught up in the Big Apple and then onto the Charleston. It was probably about twenty minutes before they stepped off the dance floor, both out of breath but thoroughly enjoying themselves.

After regaining a steady heartbeat and taking two glasses of champagne from the tray of a willing waiter, Clara Oswin spoke. "And I thought I was good at dancing."

Koschei chuckled. "You are, m'dear!"

She pricked her eyebrows up at the term of endearment—since when was she his dear? They'd only just met. Letting it slide, she shook her head. "Well, not compared to you, good sir."

He took shook his head. "Nonsense! You were marvelous out there."

She grinned, a slight blush coming to her face at the compliment. "Thanks," she told him, glancing down at the floor and back up at his eyes. He'd just met her, but he was looking at her with such ... Passion? Desire? in his eyes, it felt as if he had known her for so much longer.

They stared into each other's pupils for a while longer, her with a curiosity and him with that ... whatever it was, for a few moments longer before Koschei broke the silence by gesturing to a table right outside the window on the deck and saying, "Shall we sit down? I'd uhm, like to get to know you more if you don't mind."

"I'd like to get to know you more too," she said softly.

Koschei bit his lip, resisting the strong urge just to kiss her then and there as they sat down in the chairs under the stars and began to converse about anything and everything under the sun. Man, did he want to kiss her. He didn't, of course. He wanted to wait until the right moment ... It looked as if he really was getting a second chance with the girl of his dreams, and messing it up by acting prematurely was _not_ an option.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading on to the second chapter! My theme song for this chapter, which I listened to on repeat while writing it was "Starlight" by Taylor Swift. Actually, the song inspired the chapter. :D I hope you enjoyed, and if you did, please leave a review telling me what you think! If you don't review, I will cry a thousand tears. (Ok not really but still; reviews make my day.)**


	3. New New York, Part One

That night, Koschei lay awake in his bed on the TARDIS, a stupid grin on his face as he thought of the lovely conversation they'd held out on the deck of that yacht. He had learned quite a bit, he decided. This Clara Oswin certainly was quite like her original, but at the same time, some of the things she told him surprised him entirely. Like the Clara he had fallen in love with, Clara Oswin had a fascination with trying (and failing) to make soufflés. She wanted to travel the world too, and she was incredible with kids. She was strong willed, but in a way she was softer than her counterpart, and while she had the luck to have a living mother, apparently they got along terribly, with her mother far preferring Clara Oswin's "perfect" older sister.

They hadn't gone home by the TARDIS. Rather, Koschei walked her down and through the winding streets until they reached her home, just so that he could talk to her longer. They agreed to have lunch the next week, but little did she know where Koschei was planning to take her.

Koschei picked her up outside her door again, and they went on their way.

"So," Clara started, taking the move to grab his hand and interlock their fingers. "Where are we off to?"

Koschei glanced down at their hands and couldn't help but grin widely. "Tis a surprise ... but, uhm, I'm using the same transport I used to get us to the party on our last date."

"Oh?" she questioned, "Are you going to explain how you magically got us over there?"

He swallowed heavily. "Well, remember what I said about Gallifrey, and how it isn't exactly of this world?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, but honestly I thought that was some sort of weird joke. Have you changed your mind? Going to take me there?" she asked him skeptically.

"Oh no, not going there, but we're going to use my transport, just like we did the other night." He stopped suddenly, and gestured at a closed shop front protruding from a building.

If it were possible, Clara Oswin would have arched her eyebrows anymore. "Are you trying to tell me you travel the cosmos out of a shop? That's ridiculous."

"A shop? Oh no, that's just the camouflage. That's not a store front."

She was really beginning to think he was crazy now. "Yeah ... Sure it's not."

Koschei sighed. "Here, look, I'll show you." Digging out a key from his pocket, he opened up the door for her. "Ladies first."

Clara Oswin gave him a look, but walked through anyway, closely followed by Koschei. She stood in shock. It was the same room he had taken her to last night, but they'd walked a completely opposite way to get there. She sputtered. "Is this-is this some kind of magic?"

He laughed. "Nah, it's completely scientific, although the technology is far more advanced than anything in this time and place."

"Time and place?" she asked, scrunching up her nose in confusion.

"Yes, this is called a TARDIS. Stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space, and it can travel anywhere in the universe at any point in time. Well, basically. It won't go _quite_ everywhere. It's actually bigger on the inside, not that you can tell in this form though."

Clara Oswin began backing up, back towards the door. "Oh yeah, makes perfect sense," she said hollowly, feeling despite the wonders she had already seen that the man before her was most certainly a lunatic.

Koschei bit his lip, fear swelling up at the look on her face. He had acted too fast, hadn't he? Jumping in front of the door, he put up a hand. "Wait. Please. I know I sound insane, but just give me a chance. I can prove this to you."

She sighed, scared but intensely curious. "Fine. Prove it."

He smiled gently at her and made his way over to the console and punched in some numbers on a keyboard before cranking a knob and pulling a handle. A vworping sound filled the air, and Clara Oswin stared at the center console as the strange green spheres hovering above it in a tube started moving up and down.

All her fear was suddenly wiped away, and tears unexpectedly came to her eyes. "That ... that sound ... I know that sound."

Koschei breathed a sigh of relief. He'd hoped leaving on the brakes so it would imitate the sound the Doctor's TARDIS made would somehow help. And help it did.

Clara Oswin looked at Koschei, waiting for him to explain. The feelings currently washing over her felt so familiar, yet so foreign. The sound made her feel safe, yet she had no idea why.

He smiled at her and stepped over, taking her hand gently in his. "Now ... I'm going to open the door."

She nodded, not sure what to say as he led her over and opened the door wide. What she saw amazed her. "I-I believe you now," she stammered, staring out at the green and blue planet sitting in a blanket of stars before her.

"Would you like to go down and visit the surface?"

She glanced over at him and grinned as she nodded. She could tell that this planet wasn't the Earth she knew—its continents were shaped all differently.

Koschei gently shut the doors and hopped back up to the console, quickly imputing a route, and a few minutes later he ran back to the door and pushed it wide open, this time revealing a green field and a futuristic city in the distance. "Welcome to New Earth, in the year 5,000,000,025."

Stepping out the door, she inhaled deeply. "Apples? Is there an orchard nearby?"

He chuckled. "Nope. It's the grass," he explained, bending down and picking her a shard.

She sniffed it and giggled. "The future is full of wonders, isn't it?"

"That it is," Koschei agreed, but he was looking at Clara Oswin, not the landscape before them.

Her stomach gently growled, and she glanced back over at Koschei, who smirked at the sound of it. Stepping up to him, she grabbed his hand. "So ... we were going to do lunch?"

"Yes, of course!" Koschei explained, having forgotten. He ran back into the TARDIS, which looked like a tree (to Clara Oswin's amazement), and quickly came back out with a red and white checkered blanket and a picnic basket.

Laughing delightedly, Clara Oswin took the blanket from him and walked several feet down the hill before spreading it out on the ground and plopping down on top of it. Koschei followed her with the basket and set it down in front of them as he sat beside her. Opening the lid, he gently took out two sandwiches and two jars containing a light pink liquid.

Clara Oswin picked up one of the jars, opened it, and sniffed it. "What's this?" she asked curiously, enchanted by the sweet smell.

"Aeron Nectar, from a tiny planet on the edge of the Milky Way solar system," he explained.

She took a small sip, at this point ready to believe anything. She was lost for words, so she just grinned.

"You like it?"

She nodded. "Oh yes, very much ... and the sandwiches? Are they from some special planet twenty million light years away?"

Koschei shook his head, chuckling. "Nah, I made them myself actually. Doesn't mean they aren't delicious though!"

She laughed and bit into hers, sighing contentedly as the flavors washed over her tongue. "Mmm, you're the master of preparing food, aren't you?" she joked.

His face went white at the words "the master," but he quickly recovered, laughing nervously. "Yes, yes, you could say that."

She raised her eyebrows at his reaction, but shrugged it off and continued to eat as Koschei began to do the same.

After the picnic, they decided to spend the afternoon in the city. "New New York," he told her, and she snorted at the name.

"That's hysterical. Suppose after five billion years, it's hard to come up with a new name for anything!"

He nodded in agreement, and they walked in silence, hand in hand, observing the incredible innovation of the city.

After a while, Koschei bravely brought up the topic they were both interested in, but hadn't yet broached since their meeting.

"So, ah, the Doctor ... how do you know him?" he asked, his eyes watching her reaction nervously.

The name of Doctor instantly brought a smile to Clara Oswin's name. "Oh, I hardly know him," she answered, sighing a little. "I met him about two years ago very briefly—he probably doesn't even remember me ... but I remember him, for sure. His friend Ace probably remembers me though. I liked her, full of spunk. I helped her out of a bind, and she told me about him, the Doctor. She said she was his traveling companion, and that they went everywhere together."

Koschei smirked. He remembered Ace well from back in his days as the Master. He nodded gently to her, encouraging her to continue her story.

"Anyway, I helped get her back to him, and she introduced us, but before I could even get in a proper word, he ran off with her, shouting something about having to save the world from impending doom. The next day, I saw him again, crossing the street. Little did he see the motor car about to cross the intersection. I pushed him out of the way and got hit myself. I went to the hospital with three broken ribs and a broken ankle."

"Damn," Koschei spoke. "You recovered alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It hurt for a while, but I'm all good now."

"I'm glad," he said sincerely, and the way he said it caused her to blush, but she wasn't sure why.

"Thanks," said Clara Oswin softly. "Your turn now. Tell me about you and the Doctor."

Koschei sighed. "Well, we've had quite a time together, I'll tell you that. We started out best friends, but as the years tore on, we've, uhm, grown apart, you could say. I think we both still have a fondness for the other, but our relationship has turned more towards arch-nemesis status than anything."

She snorted. "Arch-nemesis? Is that a joke?"

He shook his head. "I wish it were. I've had a bit of a troubled past, and I've done a lot of things I wish I hadn't ... but I think I've changed, for the better. Perhaps if the Doctor and I ever meet again, we'll be able to be friends again ... as long as he doesn't get on my nerves too much."

Clara Oswin nodded, a little bit startled by his openness, but also intrigued. Her heart strings pulled, and she couldn't help but want to know about that troubled past. He didn't look like he wanted discuss it though, so she decided not to ask. _"Besides,"_ she thought, _"We have plenty of time to talk about it in the future."_ She paused momentarily, the thought alarming her. Where did that come from? Why was she so sure they would? He obviously had a crush on her, but that didn't necessarily mean anything would happen, or that it would last ... Glancing into Koschei's eyes, she smiled, feeling strangely confident. Something in her told her that it would.

 **A/N: Sorry for not updating on Wednesday as usual. I only received three reviews on the last chapter, which made me quite sad, knowing that more people read it (There have been 40 views on chapter 2 since I posted it), but they didn't take the time to tell me what they thought. :( Anyways, please review.**

 **I've decided as an extra incentive, I'll be doing something special at the end for everyone who reviews each and every chapter of this story. :)**


	4. New New York, Part Two

**A/N: Thank you so much to Misswhoviangirl for letting me know that the chapter had a bunch of weird code in it! Here's chapter four, reposted as it should be.**

The afternoon progressed smoothly, ending in them having dinner at the finest restaurant in New Central Park. Clara Oswin laughed yet again at the unoriginality of the names, at which Koschei pointed out that the whole planet was a revival movement, and the people there simply ate up all the "new" historic names.

"Tell me," Clara Oswin said, over a plate of fine breads and cheeses, some of which were imported from the other side of the galaxy. "What is your favorite thing about having the whole of time and space at your command?"

Koschei pursed his lip, taken aback by the seemingly simple question. He most certainly did not have it at his command—that's what he had been trying and failing to achieve for much of his life. He knew she didn't mean it that way, and so he answered, "Never really thought about it, I suppose it's … well … I guess I would have to say—" The waiter interrupted them, setting down the cheese soufflé that came with the wine. Koschei swallowed heavily, suddenly lost in memory.

Clara Oswin stared at him, surprised by his reaction. She was thrilled to see the soufflé, but concerned because at that moment, he looked so unsure of himself, which was the exact opposite of how he seemed most of the time. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, noticing a few tears well up in his eyes.

He shook his head mutely. He'd started thinking about that day with Clara when he'd started being really, actually nice to her and had helped her make a soufflé—well, helped her botch a soufflé. It made him miss her terribly, even though her look-alike, her clone, was sitting right in front of him.

Clara Oswin reached her hand across the table, gently placing it on top of his. "Can I help?"

Remember, he thought obstinately, but he didn't say that aloud. Instead, he shook his head. "I wish you could, Clara Oswin … but I'll be fine. Nothing a good glass of wine, can't fix, eh?" He forced a laugh and raised his up.

Clara Oswin bit her lip, wishing he would let her in. She decided to give it time—it was only their second date after all. Lifting her glass and clinking it against his, she declared, "To new horizons, all across the universe."

"To new horizons," he repeated, offering a wry smile before tipping back the glass, strangely cheered. Maybe that was all he needed.

They stumbled back into the TARDIS, both a little more than tipsy from the wine. Apparently it was stronger than most 20th century Earth wines, because both of them had only had two glasses. They'd been kicked out of the restaurant for rowdy behavior and taken a shuttle across the bridge, from whence they staggered up the sloping hill, knocking into no less than four trees before finding the TARDIS. Clara Oswin took one look around the room before stepping back outside and dropping to her back in the grass. Koschei shrugged and followed her, taking the position to her right.

She giggled, looking up at the sky. "Where's home?" she asked.

Koschei narrowed his eyes, lifting his arm into the air and waving it around a bit before settling on a spot. "That's the Milky Way galaxy, I believe … from this point in time, your planet isn't there anymore. It blew up about thirty years ago. I think."

Clara Oswin was silent. She swallowed heavily and glanced over at Koschei, her eyes wide and beginning to fill with tears.

He dropped his arm down to take her hand in his. "Hey, don't worry," he said softly, turning on his side to face her. "No one was left there. The human race moved on, to bigger and brighter stars … they're quite tenacious like that."

Clara Oswin nodded mutely, still feeling a little sad. She snuggled up against him. After a moment, he threw his other arm around her and kissed her on the top of her forehead. This cheered her, and she giggled, lifting her eyes to his. "I think I love you," she murmured, even though she really barely knew him.

Koschei looked surprised, but this time he pressed his lips to her lips, for the very first time. "And I know that I love you, Clara Oswald."

"You do?" she whispered, not realizing in the thrill from the kiss that he had forgotten her middle name.

He simply kissed her again, this time more deeply, and she wrapped her arm around the back of his neck to tangle with his hair. Their legs drifted together, and after a minute or two he shifted on top of her, smiling against her lips when he heard her gasp at little. He lifted his mouth away from hers and kissed her forehead, her nose, and her lips again in quick succession.

She laughed delightedly, gazing into his eyes. "I wasn't expecting this so soon," she murmured, glancing at his lips, just an inch above hers.

"Neither was I," Koschei answered, breathing heavily. He waited for her to make the next move though, curious to see what she would do.

Clara Oswin smiled a loopy smile back at him, her eyes drooping a little. "Probably wouldn't have if that wine hadn't been so strong."

Koschei nodded. "Yeah, probably not … but I'm glad, aren't you?"

"So glad," she answered immediately, placing one hand on his chest and the other around his neck to pull him back down to her. The Time Lord made no protest.

They enveloped each other in kisses and eventually fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms. Neither of them knew what the future would bring, despite the fact they had fallen in love several billion years in the future.

Clara Oswin woke up with a pounding head, but no regrets. She snuggled up against the still sleeping Time Lord, listening to his heart beat. It was soothing, though quite fast. Maybe he was awake. She smiled up at him and kissed his lips … to no response. "Koschei?" she whispered, nudging him a little.

He opened his eyes a little, taking in the small figure wrapped up in his arms. "Oh, hey there," he murmured.

"I hadn't noticed how fast your heart beats," Clara Oswin said, feeling his chest with her hand. "Were you really just asleep a moment ago?"

He surprised her by bursting out laughing. "Yeah, yeah I was. I have two hearts, Clara Oswin. They were probably beating at their normal rate … although I admit you do make them beat faster." He gazed into her eyes, his eyelids drooping a little with desire.

"Really?" she asked, amazed and impervious to his desire to start snogging so early in the morning.

Koschei sighed a little, but just seeing the curious look in her eyes made it impossible for him not to smile. "Yup." Taking her hand, he rested it for a moment on top of each heart. "See? Individual hearts. I truly am out of this world, Clara Oswin."

"That you are." She giggled and pulled him into a kiss. "That you are."

After a bit more lip locking, she pulled away, having remembered something. "Did … did we say "I love you" last night?" she asked him, a look of concern in her eyes.

Koschei grinned lopsidedly. "Yeah. Yeah we did."

His excitement about it made her a little nervous, but she spoke her fill anyway. "Oh goodness. I'm sorry, Koschei. It's way, way too soon for that. We barely know each other … can we just forget about it for now? Count it as the drunken utterance it was?"

Koschei swallowed, disappointed but understanding. "Of course," he said quickly. "You're completely right. We'll save those three words for later."

Clara Oswin smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. "Perfect. Wonderful." She kissed him quickly and pulled away with a goofy grin. "Koschei Oakdown, I cannot wait to fall in love with you," she told him boldly.

His grin far outmatched hers. "Neither can I." Little did she know, he had been in love with her for years and years, most of them spent apart from her. He'd had a bit of trouble believing it, but maybe this was the Clara he'd always been meant to meet. Maybe he could build a life with her..

Back in the TARDIS, Koschei took her to the kitchen where he made her a hangover remedy from a couple of odd ingredients in the refrigerator.

Clara Oswin sniffed it cautiously before taking a sip. Making a face, she took a steadying breath and downed it, swallowing it as fast she could. Koschei chuckled a little bit at her reaction but took the glass from her wordlessly, replacing it with a glass of ice water to wash it down.

"That was disgusting," she told him, sitting down at the table.

"It worked, didn't it?"

She nodded grumpily, noticing the pain lesson by the second. "Why aren't you making any for yourself?"

He shrugged. "Time Lords don't usually get hangovers unless they've drunk far more than we did last night."

"Lucky bastard," she retorted.

He smirked at her language. "I like you."

"I like you too."

Breakfast consisted of French toast and bacon. They cooked together, Koschei in charge of the French toast while Clara Oswin handled the bacon. Quite unlike most of her soufflés, the bacon remained unburnt.

Koschei took her home after they were done eating, though neither of them wanted to part. He was still nervous that he'd scare her off, so he figured it was best to air on the side of caution and take things slowly. Well, as slow as things could be taken after snogging and falling asleep together on the second date.

They arrived a couple of hours after they'd left, and he walked her to her building.

"When will I see you again?"

"Soon," he told her simply, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek and a wink.

Giggling, she nodded to him and slipped inside the door, more excited than she had been since the day she'd heard of the Doctor.


	5. 2045 World's Fair

**A/N: I am SO sorry for the long wait! I have no reasonable excuse, except for that I got busy and kept forgetting to update. Heh. Here's chapter 5. I really hope you enjoy it, and please make sure to review once you've finished reading!**

Koschei called on Clara Oswin again the next Saturday. This time he took her on a simpler date, one to the World Fair of 2045. She was almost more amazed seeing the progress the human race had made in one hundred years than she had been seeing the progress of five billion years.

"This is incredible," Clara Oswin said yet again, having just swallowed a bite of her fried pecan pie on a stick. "Just the fried foods amaze me. I can't believe they have so many things. I want to try them all!"

He chuckled, taking a bite out of his own fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich before speaking. "Probably not the best idea. You don't want to throw up."

She nodded. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. Maybe I should limit myself to trying three or four things." She glanced at him and grinned spectacularly. "But we can always come back, can't we? You have a time machine!"

He nodded, although he wasn't sure he wanted to return to the same spot in time and space over and over again. "Yeah, there's a world of fried foods out there. Some of them are quite strange. Fried jelly babies, for example. And you can get them all over time and space."

She laughed. "Yeah, I can imagine."

They continued on through the fair, hearing all about the brand new electric hover cars that ought to be on the lots in about five years, and about the upcoming Mars colony that would debark in roughly a decade.

"So, so, incredible," Clara Oswin spoke, listening to the details about how they would set up a greenhouse and grow plants, drawing from the water they had discovered existed in 2008.

Koschei laughed. "You really like that word, don't you?"

She shrugged, not looking bothered in the least bit. "It certainly describes all this pretty well!"

He nodded, enjoying the pure delight in her eyes. "Yes. Yes it does." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Clara Oswin smiled even wider, if that were possible. "I have a feeling you aren't talking about the location we're at."

He gave her another kiss, this time a little longer, before answering her question. "I've seen a lot of things, Clara Oswin. This isn't all that advanced in my eyes. What I find truly amazing is how much more exciting it is with a small, petite hand like yours to hold."

She rolled her eyes. "Watch it, buster. I'm not _that_ small and petite. I bet I could knock you out cold with this so called petite hand of mine!"

"I sincerely doubt that, my dear Clara Oswin." Koschei raised his eyebrows at her, daring her to try.

She raised hers in imitation. "Don't test me. I may be short, but I've got a fiery temper when you get me going."

A cheeky grin appeared on his face. "Do you? I'd like to see that in action. Not directed towards me, of course."

Clara Oswin chuckled and punched him lightly in the arm. "We'll see what happens, eh?"

He looked at her with amusement in his eyes, and she couldn't help but give him another kiss. "C'mon, let's see what's around this corner!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the next exhibit, and onto the next and the next and the next.

"Is it time to go home already?" Clara Oswin asked, leaning against the console as Koschei took them into hyperspace. They had just returned to the TARDIS.

Koschei shrugged, throwing a grin her way. "It is a time machine, you know. So really, there isn't much of an issue with getting you home on time."

She opened her mouth to reply, but she was overcome by a yawn.

Koschei chuckled. "I think it might be time for you to get some rest."

Clara Oswin regarded him with her big doe eyes, coming up and resting her hands on his chest. "Okay. Take me home, spaceman." She gave him a smile before resting her head against him, smiling even wider when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead.

He didn't want to let go, but once the TARDIS rematerialized outside of her building, he did just that. "See you next week?"

Clara Oswin nodded. "Yeah … Actually, erm, I was wondering if you'd like to go to church with me tomorrow morning." She looked nervous as she waited for his response, not sure exactly how aliens go about that sort of thing.

Surprised by her suggestion, he stared at her blankly for a moment before nodding. "Sure, why not? I've never actually been to an Earth church to attend services before, but yeah, it sounds nice."

Grinning widely, Clara Oswin pulled Koschei into a kiss. "Great, wonderful. Be outside my building at nine o'clock, alright? We can get breakfast beforehand at the café down the street and then walk over."

"Sounds like a plan," Koschei agreed, pulling her into another kiss before letting her go. She had trouble pulling away, but her interrupting yawn put a stop to it.

"Good night, Koschei!" she called from her doorstep.

"Good night, my Clara Oswin."

Koschei felt uncertain about the whole thing at first, but he had ended up enjoying the church service, and had told her so after she'd introduced him to various friends of hers in the foyer.

Now they were walking hand in hand down the street, Clara Oswin leaning against Koschei's arm.

"I'm so glad. I'd been entirely unsure how you'd take it, not being human, after all."

He snorted. "What, do you think aliens don't have religion?"

She pulled away a little and looked at him, shrugging. "I wasn't sure. What is it like on your planet?"

He took a moment to answer, considering. "Much like it is here, I think. There are some Time Lords who embrace the idea of a loving, divine being, then there are some who reject it as nonsense, as well as others who aren't sure either way."

Clara Oswin nodded. "Makes sense … How about you? What do you think?"

He smiled a little. "I think there's someone out there, someone above all this. I didn't for quite a time, but I met someone who made me think that perhaps there was more to life that what I had seen, someone who resonated this God of forgiveness and love we heard about today."

Clara Oswin kissed him on the cheek, feeling delighted. "Who was she? Or he?"

Koschei bit his lip, looking at her. The answer was a Miss Clara Oswald, but he couldn't exactly reveal that to her. He decided to answer her vaguely. "An old friend. I ended up losing her, but she changed my life for the better."

"An old friend? Like an ex-girlfriend?"

He shook his head and answered while staring at the ground. "Not exactly. I mean we were together, but uhm, what happened to us wasn't either of our faults, so I've never considered her my ex. And I think she would have changed my life whether or not we had been involved romantically. She was more than a girlfriend. She was my best friend." Koschei took a steadying breath before meeting her eyes.

"Oh," Clara Oswin answered, now feeling insecure. She couldn't possibly measure up to this other girl, could she? "How-how long has it been?"

"Well, if I'm being honest … forty years or so, in Earth terms."

She gaped at him. "Excuse me?"

"Time Lords live a lot longer than humans. I was planning on telling you, but I hadn't gotten to it yet." He regarded her shocked expression. She seemed to be at a loss for words. "Hey, it's not a big deal, really. We age more slowly, that's all. So while I'm technically a lot older than you, it shouldn't be much of an issue practically."

Clara Oswin swallowed, trying to sort her thoughts about this. Not sure if her legs would still work, she sat down on a bench. "Okay … how old are you?"

"Uhm. I'm not actually sure. I lost count a couple of centuries ago."

"Wowzah."

He took the seat next to hers and placed his hand in hers, gently caressing it with his thumb. "I know it's a lot to take in. I'm sorry."

She nodded slowly and gazed at him, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. "If … if we stay together, for the long haul … you're going to have to watch me grow old, aren't you? You'll stay young and spry, and then I'll die, and you'll still have years and years to live without me."

He swallowed heavily. "I honestly hadn't considered that. But yes. Yes, I would."

"I can't put you through that, Koschei. I can't break your heart like that."

Koschei took a deep breath to keep himself from giving into the tears welling in his own eyes. "Clara Oswin, it would be a pleasure to have my heart broken by you. And that's years and years away. So don't worry about it."

"How can I not?"

"Because there's nothing you can do about it, and I think it would be completely worth it. I know it hasn't been long—" _For you," he thought_ —but I'm falling in love with you, Clara Oswin. If you leave me now to spare me from future pain … Well, it's your choice, but I'd rather you gave us a chance."

Smiling through the tears, she answered by pulling his face to hers and kissing it. When they pulled away a few minutes later, her eyes were glistening but joyous.

"Let's take a chance."


	6. Seven Months Later

Seven months passed before they met again. Koschei had taken a brief trip to the 25th century and ended up in a squabble with a bunch of Silurians. It was two weeks his time before he managed to break out of the cell they had put him in for war crimes against the universe (a prior conviction), but when he entered the date in his TARDIS to get back to Clara Oswin's time, he made a slight miscalculation and ended up arriving later than planned.

He showed up at the door to her residence, not realizing how much time had passed. A stern looking woman opened the door. Koschei gave her a dashing smile. "I'm here to see a Miss Oswald. Is she upstairs?"

The woman shook her head. "Nah. She moved out two months ago. Why? Did she not tell ya?"

Koschei went white. "Two months ago? But … I went to church with her last Sunday and dropped her off here."

The woman raised her eyebrows. "Last Sunday, eh? I think you must be mistaken."

He dropped his head, realizing his mistake. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed heavily before asking, "Do you … do you know her new address?"

"Lemme look. Come on in while you wait." She gave him a sad smile, seeming to emphasize with him a bit.

Koschei nodded and followed her in. He stood awkwardly in the foyer and glanced around until his eyes caught sight of the calendar hanging on the wall. He swore. It had been summer when he dropped her off, but the month now read February. Seven months had passed. Seven months were nothing to him, but he knew that for a human girl, seven months could be everything.

He tried not to tear up as the woman came back to him, shaking her head. "No address, Sir. 'M sorry."

Koschei nodded. "Do you know any friends of hers, anyone who might know where she went?"

"Well, there's her old roommate, Nicole. I can call up to her room and see if she's in."

"That would be lovely. Thank you."

Twenty minutes later, he sat across from a haughty looking blonde in what used to be Clara Oswin Oswald's apartment.

"So you're the guy," Nicole spat, looking at him with disdain.

"The guy?" he questioned.

"Yeah, the guy who broke my best friend's heart! She said you showed her the most magnificent things in the universe … She kept saying you would come back, but, naturally, she lost hope in your pathetic ass after a few months had gone by. She cried about you nearly every day."

Koschei gaped at her. "I-I'm sorry. It was a mistake. I meant to come back earlier. I really did."

Nicole raised her eyebrows. "It's been seven months. You didn't try very hard."

"It's complicated," he said shortly.

"I'll bet it is," she responded sarcastically. "What are you doing back here anyway? Decided you wanted to play around with her heart and then disappear on her again?"

He shook his head. "I never played with her heart. Clara means everything to me."

Nicole snorted. "You even forgot the second half of her name. Nice job, Mr. Jackass."

Koschei sighed, resisting the old urge to snap her neck at the insult. "Why did she leave?"

Nicole shrugged. "To see the world, since you weren't going to do it as you promised. The day she left, she told me she'd decided to move on, and the only way to do that was to go seek out her dreams on her own. I'm proud of her."

Koschei smiled a little. He was glad she'd decided to see the world like she'd always wanted … he just wished it had been with him. "Can you tell me where she is now?"

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I could. She sends me postcards all the time. But why should I tell you?"

"Because I love her," he said boldly.

Nicole laughed out loud. "As if!"

"It's true. I swear."

"I don't believe you. If you loved her, you wouldn't have stood her up for seven months."

Koschei took a deep breath, coming up with a story as he spoke. "Like I said, it's complicated. I'm an important man. I get called off sometimes on, uhm, confidential missions. I couldn't come back. I couldn't contact her. It ate me alive, all that time, being away from her. I did all I could to convince my commanding officers to at least let me send a letter before my mission started, but they wouldn't listen, and I knew in my heart that I had to keep radio silence if I wanted to keep her safe."

Nicole listened, gaping at him. "My best friend is dating a secret agent who works for the government."

Koschei nodded, maintaining his seriousness. "Yes, and I'm not supposed to share that information with civilians … but I realized I had to if I wanted Clara Oswin back. She's worth sharing a secret. You can't tell anyone though. If you do, I'll have to kill you." He smiled then and gave her a wink. Nicole laughed.

"Don't you worry, my lips are sealed," she said excitedly. Koschei had a feeling the news would spread like wildfire, but considering it was a lie, he didn't really care.

"Does she know? Did you tell Clara Oswin?"

"She's knows I work for the government, but that's it. I'll probably share more with her. I hadn't gotten the chance yet. Do you think you could help me out with that?"

Nicole jumped out of her seat and rushed to her desk to retrieve Clara Oswin's latest postcard. She handed it over to Koschei, who flipped over the picture with the Eiffel Tower and read eagerly.

 _My dearest friend,_

 _I have been to Paris, and it is spectacular! The Tower, the baguettes, the way of life … I simply relish it. I passed probably hundreds of romancing couples, and I only vomited once! I kid of course, but it was a little hard seeing so many as happy as I once was with Koschei. No time for crying, though, when you see the views that I see! I hope you are doing well, Nicole. I miss you dearly, and I wish you could accompany me on my world tour. I'll be visiting Venice next. I cannot wait to take one of those famous boat rides!_

 _Yours truly,_

 _Clara Oswin_

Koschei couldn't help the tear that fell. He wanted desperately to undo his mistake, but the Doctor had pounded it into his head a million times how bad paradoxes were. Not that he usually cared, but with Clara, he didn't want to take the chance.

Nicole smiled at him, biting her lip. She seemed nervous. "You better not break her heart again. You wouldn't want to face my wrath."

"I won't. Thank you so much for sharing this with me," he told her, holding back his chuckle as he handed her the postcard and stood to leave.

"Good luck," she called to him as he left. "I hope you find her in that big old city."

"Me too." He offered her a half-smile as he shut the door, then took off down the hallway, continuing to run until he'd reached the TARDIS and inputted his next location: Venice, Italy. He'd turn the city upside down to find her and beg for her forgiveness. He just prayed she'd give it.

 **A/N: As always, please don't forget to leave a review! Reviews mean so much to me, and they inspire me to keep writing. :)**


	7. Venice

It took him three days, but he did it. Koschei was walking alongside the canals in Venice, feeling downcast. He wasn't quite sure where to look anymore. He'd been to all the major tourist attractions. He feared that he'd gone to each just before or after her. A couple people had recognized her face when he'd shown them a picture (which was actually a picture him and the original Clara had taken together), but it hadn't been much of a help.

Hearing a sharp intake of breath, he glanced up from the pavement that he had been boring his eyes into. There she was: the most beautiful girl in the world. Koschei mouthed her name in amazement just as her hand collided with his cheek.

"Ouch! What was that for?" he exclaimed, observing the furious brunette before him. "I thought you'd be glad to see me!"

"That," she started, poking him in the chest, "is for leaving me for seven months, without a single word." Clara Oswin was fuming, and her eyes were welling up with tears that she fought back.

"Oh, Clara. I am so sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry? Seriously, is that all you've got? You said you were falling in love with me and we decided to take a chance and jump into the adventure that lay before us, and you simply _left!"_

"I didn't mean to. It was an accident, I swear."

"Really?" she asked dryly. "Are you sure it wasn't just fear of commitment? You got ahead of yourself on that last day. You realized that you actually didn't want to take the chance of falling in love with me, so you abandoned me. I'm not an idiot."

"Of course you're not an idiot. But you don't understand."

"Really? I think the only thing I don't understand is why the hell you're back, or how you found me. Or was it an accident, a coincidence you just ran into me here?" Clara Oswin bit her lip. It was obvious she desperately hoped it wasn't a coincidence.

Koschei swallowed, glancing around. "Can we go sit somewhere to talk? I think people might start to stare if you continue to shout at me here."

She sighed, debating whether to protest before nodding. "Yeah, sure. There's a lovely place right this way."

They walked together in an awkward, tension-filled silence for about two minutes until they reached an outdoor patio and sat down at a table. A waiter came by, and Koschei ordered the most expensive wine on the list.

"Damn. Maybe you really are sorry," Clara Oswin murmured as the waiter walked away.

Koschei nodded. "Remember how I have a time machine?"

"How could I not? I've been waiting for you for seven months. The fact that you have a time machine made it all the worse because you could go anywhere you want, but you decided to let me take the long path." Tears were gathering in her eyes, and she blinked furiously to make them go away.

Koschei sighed. "I got into a spot of trouble."

"So?"

"So, I made a mistake navigating back to you afterwards. I entered the wrong date, and by the time I realized my mistake, I was standing at the door of your apartment complex listening to some lady tell me you'd moved out two months ago."

"You have a time machine. You could have just left and gone back in time," she said blankly, clearly not understanding.

"There are rules. Rules that I tend to break, but I couldn't risk a paradox, Clara Oswin. If I had gone back to before you moved, then you might never have moved at all, and then I wouldn't have heard that message when I got to your apartment, and then I wouldn't have the chance to go back and fix it, and it would all be a mess."

Clara Oswin blinked. "I … what? Is there a less confusing version of the story?"

He sighed. "Basically, if I had gone back, there could have been a paradox that meant I would never have the impetus to go back at all, and I could have lost you forever. I couldn't risk that."

She nodded slowly, taking it all in. "I'm still confused, but … I suppose I can believe you when you say it was a mistake. But, uhm, how did you find me?"

"Nicole," he said, a smirk on his face.

"You're kidding me. She told me if you ever showed up again she would rip you limb from limb for hurting me! There's no way she gave up my location!" She laughed aloud, amazed at his resourcefulness.

"Rip me limb from limb? Damn. I like her spirit!"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, me too. How'd you do it then?"

"Well, after she was finished grating into me for being a horrible person, I fed her a lie that I was a secret agent who had been called off on a mission, and I had been unable to let you know."

Clara Oswin snorted. "Oh, that's perfect! She absolutely loves military guys. I'm sure she ate it up."

"It's certainly a more convincing story than me being a time-traveling alien who made a calculation error."

"Oh yeah, definitely. No one would believe that one." She winked at him, betraying her joy at being with him again.

He laughed, a wave of relief washing over him. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment after the laughter had subsided, and he reached his hand across the table to take hers. She allowed him tentatively.

"I'm still upset with you, you know. You could have at least sent me a message, or a sign. Something so that I wouldn't lose all hope in you returning to me."

He sighed. "Well, it's too late now."

"Yeah."

"Can you ever forgive me?" Koschei asked, squeezing her fingers.

Clara Oswin blushed and glanced at their hands. "Yeah. I think I can."

Koschei grinned at her widely, reaching for the bottle that had arrived without them noticing. Pouring them both a glass, he lifted his own. "To forgiveness and another chance at love?"

"To love, and to forgiveness," she spoke, raising her own and clinking it against his. Clara Oswin had realized she was in love with him shortly after he had left that last Sunday morning. She'd tried to forget it in the months he was gone, but looking into the eyes that held so much strange, confusing, incredible love for her, she knew it hadn't faded. Clara Oswin was in love with Koschei Oakdown. There was no doubt about it.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, please let me know in a review! Or, if you didn't like it for some reason, i would love to hear that feedback as well. I know that their relationship is moving kind of fast, but I think for Koschei it's kind of hard not to move fast given his relationship with the original Clara Oswald.**


	8. The Match

He could see it in her eyes. Yes, she'd forgiven him, but Clara Oswin did not trust him. How could she? He had ripped her heart into a millions pieces without even meaning too. Koschei knew it would take time to rebuild her trust … With a smile, he realized that was alright. They had a time machine. They had all the time in the world.

"Where to next?" Clara Oswin asked, turning to Koschei as they left the post office where she had just finished mailing a postcard to Nicole. They'd just spent a lovely day out on one of the famous gondolas, and there really weren't any more attractions to visit.

"Well," Koschei started, glancing around. "That's entirely up to you. Where were you going to go next, had I failed to show up?"

"Rome, to see the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and all the famous Basilicas."

Koschei grinned. "Perfect. You'll get to see them in their glory days."

Her eyes grew wide at the idea. "Really?" she asked, astounded.

Koschei waggled his eyebrows and gave her a soft kiss. "Would I ever deny you the best of history?"

Clara Oswin giggled and linked her arm through his. "You'd better not, if you want to live."

He laughed. "I do love a girl who makes death threats," he drawled, leaning in to give her another kiss, this one a bit more prolonged.

She broke apart after a minute or so. "Koschei, we're in public," she stated matter-of-factly, but she couldn't help the grin on her face or the girlish giggle that escaped.

Koschei nodded, his eyes full of desire. He leaned in close and whispered into her ear, "How about we take this back to the TARDIS then?"

"Okay," she murmured back, her legs a little wobbly.

They made haste to the TARDIS, their hands linked together as they ran through the streets, invoking strange looks from the passersby. They came to a stop in front of what looked to most like an extra entrance for the shop next door. Pulling a key out of his pocket, Koschei quickly unlocked the door. Once inside, Clara Oswin promptly pushed him up against the closed door and kissed him hard. He seemed almost surprised by her ferocity, but quickly adapted as he wrapped his arms around her waist, reaching up to tangle his fingers in her hair.

They remained like that for quite a time before breaking apart, both breathless. "Now _that_ is what I call a Snogbox," Koschei stated aloud, as soon as he could breathe normally again.

Clara Oswin raised an eyebrow, not understanding the reference. "Okay then," she stated, slightly amused.

His breath caught a little. In the moment, he had forgotten that "Snogbox" wasn't their inside joke. It was his and the original Clara's. He shook his head, quickly covering it by giving her another prolonged kiss, slamming her up against the wall and making her heart beat fast again. Parting, he quickly pecked her on the forehead, nose, and lips again before speaking. "I love you so much," he whispered to her, grabbing her and holding her tightly in a hug.

"I love you too," she said, a little taken aback by the fierceness in his voice, but holding him tightly anyway. He seemed sad, but she supposed maybe it had something to do with all the time they had lost, that he was trying to make up for hurting her, for accidentally abandoning her. A smile came to Clara Oswin's lips. He was certainly doing a good job of making her feel wanted.

They arrived in Ancient Rome the next afternoon, just in time for a show at the Coliseum. Not that Clara Oswin knew that. Koschei had decided to make a surprise of which era they would arrive in, so he parked the TARDIS inside the building, where it disguised itself as one of the pillars. Making her keep her eyes closed, he led her by her hand. He knew she would be fascinated by the stairways and halls, but he decided they would have plenty of time to examine it after the show.

Upon reaching their seats, which happened to be in the Emperor's box because Koschei would afford them no less, he allowed her to open her eyes. She gasped as soon as she recognized the arena. "Oh my word, it is beautiful beyond my imagining," she managed to say, amazement in her voice. "It's nothing like the pictures of the ruins. It's so … vibrant. Alive. Spectacular."

Koschei beamed at her, thinking to himself that this must be happiness, seeing his beloved in so much joy.

After she was finished looking around in amazement, she turned to Koschei. "We're here to see a show aren't we?" she asked, apprehension lacing her voice.

He nodded, not noticing the strain in her voice. "Indeed we are!"

"What … what sort of show are we seeing?"

He shrugged. "No idea. I just picked a random one in time. Was there something in particular you wanted to see? A famous show written about in history books? I must admit, I really know nothing of Roman history or what sort of shows this Flavian Amphitheater holds."

Clara Oswin went as white as a sheet. If there were very, very lucky, the show might be of a nonviolent nature. But she sort of doubted that, as she saw in that moment two men emerging from opposite ends of the arena, flat-bladed swords in hand. She turned to Koschei and spoke in horror. "You took me to a gladiatorial match."

He turned to her, confused as to why she was upset. He had heard the word gladiator before, in another regeneration, and remembered being amused when somebody told him what they did. Just his luck though; he couldn't recall what it was they did. "What's wrong? What do gladiators do?" Koschei watched the two men begin to circle each other. It didn't look bad to him.

"They fight, Koschei … they fight to the death," she explained, tearing her eyes away from the men on the field to look at him. Tears had begun to well up.

"Oh." He remembered now why he had been amused. Humans forcing other humans to fight and kill each other for sport. It had all seemed quite comical in the past, but from the look in his girlfriend's eyes, it was obviously a tragedy in her mind. He didn't quite understand why. Human's lives were so short and fickle. Who cared if they killed each other for sport? It took him a moment to remember that he was, in fact, in love with a human now, one whose life meant more to him than anything. He blinked, looking into her eyes more deeply. " _Oh,_ " he said again, this time with more emphasis.

Clara Oswin took a deep, shaky breath. "I can't believe you took me to a death match."

"I had no idea. I swear. We'll leave straight away, go to a happier time."

She was taken aback. "Hell no. We're going to stop this."

He blinked at her, confused. "And how do you suppose we go about that?" He glanced down at the field again. The gladiators were now locked in combat. "We can't exactly go down there and pull them apart, Clara Oswin. They'd rip us to shreds."

She took a deep breath. "Just wait."

They watched the match progress until one of the gladiators had his sword to the other's throat, asking the crowds whether or not to let him live. Shouts and hoots came from all around them, thumbs pointed down to instruct the gladiator to end the other's life. Clara Oswin's thumb was held up, and she was shouting as loudly as she could. "Let him live. Let him live. By God, let him live!" Koschei joined in, although he doubted it would do any good.

The spectators who were seated around the couple looked at them in curiosity. Hardly anybody ever fought for a gladiator to spare his comrade's life. Additionally, she was invoking a single God, which sounded suspiciously like she didn't believe in the pantheon of gods they worshiped.

The Emperor, who was seated in a throne only a few rows up, took notice of the shouting girl. He was curious about her and the way she shrunk to the ground crying when she lost and the victorious gladiator slit the other's throat. After the crowd's shouting had died down and the interval act, one notably nonviolent, had begun, he instructed two of his men to retrieve her and the man he assumed to be her husband.

Clara Oswin was clinging to Koschei, ignoring the world as he comforted her, when she was tapped on the back and instructed to present herself to the Emperor. If possible she went even paler, and she clung to Koschei's hand as they ascended the stairs to his throne.

"What is the cause of your weeping? Is it brought on by the death of the gladiator?" the Emperor asked her. "Did he mean something to you?"

She shook her head. "No, not personally."

"Then why are you upset?"

"It's wrong. It's absolutely horrid to condone the death of gladiators for people's sick entertainment," she said, standing tall and putting on a brave face.

The Emperor laughed, clearly amused. "Don't be silly. The gladiators are prisoners of war and slaves. They deserve their fates."

"Bullshit," she murmured.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What was that?" The words had failed to be translated by the TARDIS translator, as there was no exact equivalent of the term in Latin, but he could tell by her tone that it was a curse.

She offered him a fake smile. "Nothing, your majesty."

"Liar," he said, made angry by her sass. "How dare you speak to the Emperor of Rome in that matter?"

She shrugged, faking nonchalance, and Koschei couldn't help but grin at her daring.

The Emperor took note of the pride in Koschei's eyes and the defiance in her stance. Breathing out slowly, he turned to his attendants. "Throw them both into the dungeons." He turned to the two of them, his eyes full of malice as they were dragged away by the guards against their wills. He waved them good-bye and shouted one last statement to the couple.

"You're going to be crucified with the Christians in tomorrow's execution."


	9. The Prison

**A/N: Apologies for how short this chapter is heh.**

Forcefully thrown into the cell, Clara Oswin and Koschei looked up from the ground on whence they fell to see five other souls staring back at them. After a moment, a girl with a kindly complexion walked over and helped Clara Oswin up as a man, who appeared to be her brother, offered Koschei a hand.

Koschei spoke first, nodding to the man before him. "Thank you," he said.

"My pleasure," the man responded with a broad smile.

Koschei narrowed his eyes at him, then looked at all the other faces. "What's wrong with you people? You're being executed tomorrow. Why do you look so happy?"

The girl who had helped Clara up, who looked like she couldn't be more than fourteen, chuckled at him. Her eyes looked frightened, but she stood strong, determined to be brave. "I suppose you haven't heard the Good News?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Good news? I suppose I haven't. Are we being freed?"

Clara Oswin just rolled her eyes at him, completely understanding what was going on. She waited for the others to explain first.

"We're going to be martyrs. We'll attain the baptism of blood and enter into the Heavenly Kingdom after the arena tomorrow," said another voice. He smiled at them. "My name's Timothy. This is Lucina and this is Thomas, my children." He gestured towards the two who had helped them up, then referred to the people behind them. "This is our sister Agatha and her husband, our brother Ovidius."

"So you're all related?" Clara Oswin asked.

"In Christ, anyway," said Ovidius.

Clara Oswin smiled. "I'm Clara Oswin, and this is Koschei. It's nice to meet you all. I'm sorry it isn't under better circumstances."

Koschei still looked rather confused, but he shrugged and turned away to examine the locked gate.

"What's he doing?" asked Lucina, tilting her head. There was a glint of something silver in Koschei's hand and a faint buzzing noise.

Clara Oswin shrugged. "Not sure, exactly."

All but Koschei sat down in a circle a few minutes later and began conversing, telling Clara Oswin about their lives and asking about hers, although they didn't get more than vague answers about where she was from. They were shocked and amazed when they found out why she and Koschei had ended up on the roster for public execution, and commended her for standing up for what was right. In learning that Clara Oswin herself was a Christian, they joined hands to pray for a few minutes before continuing on with their conversation.

After an hour or two of tinkering with the door and mostly ignoring them, Koschei turned to the group with a grin. "I have some good news of my own. Turns out we won't be martyrs tomorrow after all!" With that, he pushed open the gate for all to see.

They all gasped, and Clara Oswin just smirked. She'd had a feeling he would save the day.

"Are you an angel?" Agatha asked in amazement.

Koschei scoffed. "I'm probably the furthest you could get from an angel." He glanced over at Clara Oswin, who had stood and taken his hand gently. "But this one might be," he murmured, really only audible to the two of them.

The group looked at him, confused but excited. "So we're getting more time? More time to spread the Good News?" asked Timothy.

"Yeah," said Clara Oswin. "Yeah you are." She grinned at them widely and pulled Koschei out of the cell, and the rest of them followed suit.

With Koschei's power of hypnotism, they easily made it past the guards and out into the evening streets of Rome.

"We praise the Lord for sending you to help us," Timothy told them, smiling profusely at the two of them as they stood outside the home in which a large group of Christians had gathered, a group quite overjoyed to see their comrades. "You are welcome to join us for our evening meal."

Koschei and Clara Oswin accepted graciously, and they enjoyed the food and celebration.

Later that night, the Time Lord and the Echo walked down the dimly lit streets, hand in hand. A sweet sense of peace descended over them as they strolled without speaking, her head resting on his shoulder. Clara Oswin marveled at how the day had gone. She certainly hadn't expected the events of the day, and she simply loved learning how the early Christians had lived and getting to know them. She honestly hoped they would return one day. She felt she'd fast become good friends with a few of them.

They stealthily made their way back into the Coliseum to get back the TARDIS. Koschei made use of his hypnotism at the entrance, and they were soon powering up the time machine to travel to another era.

 **A/N: Please, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Reviews make me ever so happy, and I haven't been getting very many lately :/ Many thanks to those of you who have reviewed recently!**


	10. Ancient Egypt, Part One

Clara Oswin circled the console, watching the displays with curiosity. She hoped that one day Koschei might teach her a little something about how to fly this thing. Smiling at her boyfriend, she grabbed his hand.

"This time, how about I choose where we go?"

Koschei frowned at her. "Why? I had a brilliant idea for our next destination!"

"Alright … what were you thinking?"

"Well, I know you love horses, and I heard that back in Ancient Greece there was this sculpture called the Trojan Horse. Considering it isn't around any more, maybe we could go visit it? See it in its glory?"

Clara Oswin deadpanned. "You can't be serious."

"I am completely serious."

"What all do you know about the Trojan Horse?" she asked.

"Erm, exactly what I just told you."

She shook her head. "Darling, the Trojan Horse was an ambush. I'd rather not land in the middle of a war."

Koschei bit his lip. "Damn. I didn't realize that. Although, wars can be quite fun sometimes," he told her.

Clara Oswin raised her eyebrows. "War equals death and destruction. What the hell is fun about that?"

Koschei blushed, coughing. "Oh, well, erm …" he trailed off, not sure how to explain this one off.

She nudged him, sort of concerned. "C'mon, answer me!"

"Strategy," he came up with. "I enjoy the strategy. Not the … killing," he said, partially lying.

Clara Oswin sighed in relief. "Oh, good. Good then."

"So … not going to go visit the Trojan Horse then?"

"Definitely not."

Koschei grabbed her hand. "Where to then, my darling?"

"How about …" She paused, thinking. "How about Egypt, in the height of its glory?"

"You got it," he said with a grin, typing in the coordinates with a spin. The TARDIS began making its familiar groaning noise, and they were off towards 2532 BC.

They landed amongst the Pyramids, with the TARDIS choosing to take the form of a miniature Sphinx. While Clara Oswin looked at it in awe, Koschei snorted.

"What? It's beautiful!" she protested.

Koschei nodded. "Yes, it is. However, the Great Sphinx won't be built for another, say, 30 years, so it's a bit ahead of its time."

Clara Oswin grinned. "Mmm, perhaps the architects will find inspiration from your TARDIS then."

"Perhaps so," Koschei agreed, chuckling.

They linked arms and began walking through the sandy desert, admiring the pyramids that rose up before them.

"Would you like to go in one of them?" Koschei suggested.

Clara Oswin smiled at the prospect, but she shook her head. "Oh I would love to. However, they've got all kinds of traps to prevent grave robbers and such. We'd end up as dead as the Pharaohs locked inside them."

Koschei stopped dead in his tracks and turned to Clara Oswin. Taking both of her hands in his, he spoke. "Clara Oswin. I have lived for longer than I can even count. I do not think that a pyramid like this will be doom, and with me by your side, I am confident that it will not be your doom either."

She stared into his eyes, taking a deep breath. He cut her off before she could speak.

"Do you trust me?" he asked her.

She smiled at this. "Yes. I trust you."

He grinned, through his arms in the air. "Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go explore a flipping pyramid!"

Clara Oswin laughed at his enthusiasm and took his hand in hers, just in time for him to take off running towards the nearest pyramid, dragging her behind him.

They circled around the pyramid twice before they found the entrance, carefully concealed to look like another piece of the wall. Koschei glanced around to make sure that no one was watching, and then pushing open the door. He smiled back at Clara Oswin and pulled her inside after him. The door shut behind them, leaving them in pitch dark.

Clara Oswin chuckled nervously. "I think we should have thought this through a little longer, prepared more," she said.

Koschei smirked in the dark and whispered in her ear. "Oh c'mon, you don't want to have a little fun in the dark?" he asked, tilting his head to gently kiss her neck.

She giggled, arching her neck a little. "I suppose we could," she said, putting her arms around him.

He moved his face to kiss her on the lips, and they snogged until they were both a little out of breath. Surprisingly, Koschei pulled away first. "So, how about that exploration?"

"It's pitch dark!" she reminded him.

He chuckled and pulled something out of his pocket, then clicked a button. Immediately, a light shone forth.

"A flashlight!" Clara Oswin proclaimed.

He nodded and took her hand, leading her down the hallway. They walked slowly, admiring the hieroglyphics covering the walls.

"Do you know what they mean?" Clara Oswin whispered, even though they were alone.

Koschei stopped, tilting his head and looking at the glyphs more closely as they walked. "They tell the story of a King, or should I say, Pharaoh, and a goddess, the goddess Sekhmet. Sekhmet was an angry goddess. She was the goddess of war and vengeance. The Pharaoh served Sekhmet faithfully, seeking revenge for his father's dead and his mother's sorrow. Eventually, this vengeance was given to him, and he no longer wished to live a life oriented towards revenge, so he stopped praying to her. The goddess became angry and used her powers to wipe out his family, all but his newborn son, the heir to the throne. That Pharaoh and his Queen were buried here in this temple."

"Wow," Clara Oswin breathed, tracing her finger over the vibrant designs. "So does that mean Sekhmet was real? Or like, an alien or something?"

Koschei shrugged. "I suppose both are possibilities, but likely the Pharaoh's family were killed by a natural disaster. The Egyptians believed she represented them."

Clara Oswin nodded. "That's fascinating," she commented.

He smiled at her, and they continued walking until Koschei stopped all of a sudden in his tracks. Clara Oswin bumped into him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"A trap," he informed her, his eyes dancing with excitement.

 **A/N: Review, and I'll update faster ;)**


	11. Ancient Egypt, Part Two

Koschei's excitement about the trap was strangely contagious, and so Clara Oswin grinned too, despite the danger.

"Okay, how do we get around it?"

Koschei pulled a ball out of his pocket and rolled it gently across the floor in front of them. A piece of the floor slid open, and Clara Oswin gasped as the ball fell into it. Koschei inched forward to look down into where the ball had fallen. Spikes had met the ball's fall about twelve feet down. Clara Oswin came and looked too. She shrieked a little when she saw it. Koschei smiled at her reassuringly before speaking.

"We've got to hop over the expanse," he said.

Clara Oswin looked at him as if he were crazy. "That's got to be a six foot jump!" she exclaimed.

Koschei blinked at her. "So?"

"So, I can't jump that far."

He scoffed. "Sure you can. Six feet is nothing."

She raised her eyebrows. "Maybe if you're a space alien, but I'm just a human."

Koschei's breath caught at her words. He shut his eyes for a moment, remembering, remembering _her_ words from so long ago, on that day they visited a planet and accidentally ran into the Second Doctor. He had wanted to mess with him. Clara had been rather insistent they didn't.

 _"I don't take orders from humans. You can stay back if you like," he told her, beginning to turn around._

 _Hands on her hips, she stood her ground. "Who says I'm just a human?"_

 _"Your genetic makeup. Don't be an idiot." The Master rolled his eyes._

 _Clara glared at him. "Now you just wait for one moment. I have been torn apart by time winds and put back together. I got computer know-how downloaded. One of my echoes was a Time Lady. Another became a Dalek," she informed him, her voice tight, "I'm more than just my genetic makeup, so don't you bloody underestimate me!"_

He had been so impressed with her that day, not that he had let it show, but he had loved how bold she was in standing up to him, in telling him how much she was _not_ just a human. And now, her echo stood before him, saying that she was "just a human." The contrast was jarring...

Clara Oswin watched her boyfriend, concerned. He'd spaced out, and though he was staring at her, she could tell he was lost in thought, far far away. Eventually she waved a hand in front of his face. "Koschei? Are you … are you okay?"

He blinked, brought back to reality by the gorgeous woman standing in front of him, the woman so like Clara but so different. The woman whom he had grown to love. "Yeah, yeah, sorry," he said faintly.

"Where did you go?"

He gaped at her for a moment, not sure how to explain, not really wanting to explain. "Uhm, just … nowhere. I don't know. Somewhere. Memories."

Clara Oswin looked confused, but grabbed his hand anyway. "Don't worry about it." She smiled up at him.

He smiled back at her, and then turned to the gaping hole in the floor, thinking. "Okay, how about I jump across first, and then you take a running jump at it. I'll be on there other side to catch you if you don't completely make it."

Clara Oswin looked scared, but she didn't want to turn back. "O-okay," she said nervously.

He smiled at her reassuringly, then backed up a few steps before easily jumping over the gap. "C'mon! That wasn't so bad!" He held out his arms to catch her.

She smiled at him despite herself, and then backed up a fair distance. She took off running and jumped. She shrieked as she sailed through the air, safely landing in Koschei's arms and causing him to fall over with her on top of him. Her heart was racing, and she felt high with the adrenaline. "That was incredible," she said, her face an inch above Koschei's.

He grinned at her. The fall had hurt a little bit, but that was okay, because of the girl who had pinned him to the ground. He stared into her eyes, completely taken in. He could feel himself falling deeper in love with Clara Oswin as he pulled her in closer to kiss him. Her kiss was so sweet and innocent and full of joy, and for perhaps the first time ever, he truly saw and thought of her and her alone, her as her own complete and individual person. Not just a human. Not just an echo. Her. Clara Oswin.

Narrowly avoiding a few more traps and almost depths, the couple finally reached the Pharoah's Chamber. Glittering gold and jewels and designs filled the room, and in its center, elevated on a pedestal, lay the sarcophagus.

Clara Oswin gaped at it, her eyes full of wonder. Koschei looked around too, but his eyes kept falling on Clara Oswin and her childlike joy.

"This is…" she said, at a loss for more words.

"Incredible?" He smirked at her, using the word she seemed to like so much.

She giggled, shaking her head. "Nah. More than that."

He grinned, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you too," she whispered back, giving him a quick kiss before squirming out of his grasp so that she could look at everything more closely.

They spent twenty minutes perusing the room, taking it all in.

"You could take something if you like," Koschei said, picking up an elaborately jeweled necklace.

Her eyes grew wide at the idea. "Oh no. No, no. That would be stealing! That would make us tantamount to common grave robbers!"

Koschei couldn't help but snort. "He isn't using any of it, and I can tell how much you like all this stuff. It really wouldn't hurt to take a few things. It's not like we're stripping the place."

Clara Oswin looked uncertain, coming round to him and grabbing both of his hands with hers. "We simply can't."

He sighed. Koschei may have been sort of reformed, but he wasn't above stealing. However, he could tell that Clara Oswin wasn't going to go for it. He thought for a moment. "What if… what if we leave something behind in return?" he suggested.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Like what?"

Koschei dug around in his pockets. He couldn't find anything particularly valuable, so he pulled out a pen and a scrap of paper.

This time it was Clara Oswin's turn to snort. "Seriously?"

"We could, erm… write a thank you note…" he said weakly.

She laughed, shook her head, and continued to look around. After a while, she found an ornate necklace with a blue amulet that was shaped to look like a bird. Her heart stirred, and Koschei came up to look at it too.

"It wouldn't hurt to try it on," he said softly.

She nodded, handing the necklace to him, and he put it on her. They walked over to a piece of polished silver that worked as a mirror. She gasped. It was beautiful, and she couldn't bear to part with it. Getting a bit teary eyed, she looked up at Koschei. "Maybe that thank-you note would be okay after all?"

He grinned, grabbing the pen and paper out of his pocket.

Clara Oswin took it and wrote:

" _Dear Pharoah,_

 _Thank you for the beautiful necklace. I'm sorry that I took it without permission, but to be honest, I don't think it would look very nice on you anyways. I promise to keep it and cherish it forever._

 _Yours truly,_

 _Clara Oswin Oswald."_

Koschei read the paper and chuckled. "Lovely letter," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

She took his hand, and they walked together out of the chamber, back through the hallways where they carefully avoiding the traps, and out into the fading Egyptian sunset. They sat and admired the sun setting over the other pyramids.

"Thank you for today," Clara Oswin said sleepily, leaning against him as they walked back to the TARDIS.

He smiled at her, happier than he had ever been while trying to master the universe.

"No. Thank you."


	12. The Talk

**A/N: Warning, this chapter may give you feels, but not as many as the next chapter. Enjoy! (And don't forget to review!)**

One night near in the future, Koschei and Clara Oswin were laying on a blanket underneath the stars of an alien planet. They were looking up at the sky, naming the constellations, when Clara Oswin bit her lip, considering a question that had been on her mind lately.

"Hey Koschei," she said, tilting her head a little so she could see his face.

"Mhm?" he answered.

"You don't talk about your past much. I was just … I was just wondering about it, since I know you've been alive for so long…"

Koschei stilled. This was not a conversation he particularly wanted to have, but he supposed if they were to maintain a healthy relationship, he shouldn't hide his awful past from her. He sighed, glancing over at her.

"You sure you want to do this now?" he asked her gently. They had been having such a nice time, he hardly wanted to spoil it.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes … Should I be worried about the answer to my question?"

He sighed again, sitting up on the blanket. "Yeah, you should be," he said, his voice hard.

She looked concerned, and sat up as well. Taking his hands in hers, she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you. You can tell me, ok? You can trust me." Clara Oswin smiled at him reassuringly.

He forced a smile and squeezed her hands, glancing down at the ground. "I suppose I should start at the beginning. You already know a little bit of this story. The Doctor and I grew up together on the planet Gallifrey, in the constellation of Kasterborous. We attended the Prydonian Academy together, studying to become Time Lords. In school, we both had nicknames that we went by. Everyone does, before they graduate and claim their title. The Doctor's was Theta Sigma. Mine was Koschei. When I was eight years old, before my schooling began, I was taken to looking into the Untempered Schism, as all Gallifreyan children are. What I saw and heard ... it chilled me. It shook me to my core. Theta, when he looked into it, he ran away. Me, I just stood there for hours, listening to the steady drum beat until finally they took me away. The drum beat … it never left me." He sighed, looking at their hands and noticing that he had begun tapping it out with his thumbs.

Clara Oswin looked down too. "It never left you? So you hear a drum sounding in your head all the live long day?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Well, I used to. I'll get back to that later. It was pretty unnoticeable while I was at the Academy and for years after, but it was always under the surface. It drove me mad, in a way." He swallowed, shut his eyes for a moment to hide the prickling tears, and stared at their hands. After he's composed himself, he looked back up at Clara Oswin and gave her a small smile. "Anyways, Theta and I were inseparable. We did everything together. Actually," at this, he chuckled. "Some of our friends and professors even thought we were in love."

Clara Oswin raised her eyebrows. "Oh really?"

He laughed. "Yeah, yeah, but we weren't … at least I wasn't anyway. No one can resist my handsome charm," he joked with a wink.

She rolled her eyes. "Go on. Continue your story, sexy space man."

He grinned at her and leaned in to give her a kiss. "Right, anyways … Theta and Koschei. Best friends forever, right? Well, eventually we graduated and took our names. He chose 'the Doctor' because he wanted to help people. I chose … I chose 'the Master.' because I wanted to rule people."

Clara Oswin looked shocked, but she urged him to continue.

"I thought that the Doctor and I would be partners. I planned to get involved with government, and I hoped he would be at my side, smoothing things along. Instead, he got married and started raising a family. I, on the other hand, pursued politics, but I quickly came into disfavor with the leading bodies due to my … my ruthlessness. I wanted efficiency. I didn't really care what others thought or wanted or needed. They kicked me out of the capital city eventually, and I bought a TARDIS and left the planet, promising not to interfere with other planets. That was a blatant lie. I quickly used up my lives trying to take control of and rule various planets in various times … I killed. I killed ruthlessly and I was killed ruthlessly. A Time Lord can generally regenerate twelve times, giving him thirteen different bodies. I'd wasted three of my regenerations due to carelessness at the Academy, and I was on my eleventh body by the time I heard that the Doctor and his granddaughter Susan had stolen their own TARDIS and began exploring the cosmos. I was on my thirteenth body when we met again. He was on this third body. He was stranded on Earth, and I decided to make it my habit to run into him there. We were on opposite sides, but I think we still enjoyed each other's company." He glanced up at Clara Oswin from where he had been staring at his hands, trying to gauge her reaction.

Clara Oswin had tears in her eyes. She was a bit overwhelmed by it all, but she squeezed his hands anyway. "I … I'm not sure what to say. I didn't expect to learn that you've … that you've killed people…"

He swallowed, tears pricking his own eyes. "Yeah. Sometimes I lay awake at night, images and names passing through my mind of all the people I've killed … it's awful. I didn't even know I knew their names until I started regretting it all."

She leaned into kiss him softly. "Obviously, you're a changed man. I still love you. Even after knowing all that."

"Thanks," he said, smiling at her. "But that isn't the end of the story."

She sighed. "No, I suppose it isn't."

"I can do the quick version if you like."

She nodded. "Yeah, do that. At least for now. I can find out more details later."

He thought for a moment, and then continued speaking. "Well, after my thirteenth body was spent, I wasn't ready to die. So, I stole a few bodies along the way, trying to continue my life because I was terrified of death. It worked, and I continued working towards taking mastery of the universe. The Doctor, he foiled a lot of my plans. I still enjoyed fighting with him though. Eventually, I couldn't continue extending my life, and I died. I thought it was for good. However, the bloody Time Lords got into a really big fight with the daleks. So, they resurrected me. Gave me a whole new set of regenerations. I fought for them for a bit, but I was terrified and eventually stole a TARDIS and ran all the way to the end of time, where they couldn't find me. I used special technology to to make myself human. I gave myself false memories and stored my own in a pocket watch. I lived as a human for years. I actually worked for good in my false life. Eventually, though, the Doctor found me, and I inadvertently became curious about my unopened pocket watch. I stole his TARDIS and regenerated into the handsome body I have now. After that, I went to Earth, 21st century. I did unspeakable things, and I became Prime Minister. The Doctor defeated me again, and I died, again. I actually refused to regenerate, which was honestly and idiot move on my part"

Clara Oswin gaped at him. "You certainly have died a lot."

He snorted. "Yeah, yeah I have. Anyways, I got brought back to life by some nice fellas who had sort of formed a cult around me, but Lucy shot me in the middle of it, so I was left with some powers of electricity in my fingertips."

"Whose Lucy?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

He gulped. "Uhm … ex wife."

She actually laughed at this. "Wow."

"Yeah, I know … anyways, I met the Doctor again. This time, we discovered something. Apparently, the Time Lords, in the midst of the Great Time War, had decided to send a signal back through time, into the Untempered Schism, into darling eight year old me in a last ditch effort to save their skins. The drums." He paused for dramatic effect.

"So the drums, the sounds you had been hearing your whole life, they came from the Time Lords?"

"Yup." He sighed. "So, anyways, the signal in my head got amplified, and Gallifrey almost swallowed Earth full. Upon learning the true purpose of the drums, which had given me purpose and drive almost my entire life, I was very, very angry. So, I shot the President Rassilon and saved the Doctor and in the process, got brought back to Gallifrey, which had been sealed into a pocket universe. I was thrown in prison, but eventually the Time Lords began a plan to get out. They didn't particularly like being trapped. Eventually, they figured out a way to send someone out, and they decided to send me out to get the Doctor to save them all." He stopped at these words. This was where Clara came into the story. He took a deep breath, deciding to skip over Clara's influence. For now.

"They sent me out, and I looked for the Doctor. I devised a plan to trap him, because I didn't want Gallifrey to come back. I obviously failed, but along the way I had a lot of time to think. The drums were still present, but they were meaningless. I felt purposeless. I no longer had the drive to conquer and control. I met … someone, and that person helped me see that there was more to life then trying to enforce mastery on the cosmos. Unfortunately, the Time Lords caught on to the fact that I wasn't going to do what they wanted, and they caught me. I was imprisoned again, but eventually they decided they would rather use my advanced intellect than keep it locked up, and so I was released. I was given a job doing sciencey stuff. I planned my escape, because I didn't really want to stay on that bloody planet. Along the way, I made friends with a Gallifreyan healer. I don't know how he did it, but he healed my head. He got rid of the drums, and the electricity thing too. He made me good as new. I have a lot to thank him for." He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Then, I escaped with the TARDIS. Eventually, I found you, and I think you know the rest."

She nodded softly, soaking it all in. "Wow."

"I know," he said, feeling a little nervous.

Clara Oswin wiped away her tears before pulling Koschei in to embrace him. She kissed his cheek. "I love you. Thank you. Thank you for telling me."

He breathed out softly. "Thanks for still loving me despite it all."


	13. Her

**A/N: Get ready, folks.**

"Where are you taking me today, Time Lord?" Clara Oswin asked, leaning back in her chair by the console of the time machine they had been traveling in for close to three months.

Koschei grinned at her and pulled her in for a kiss before answering. "Somewhere special," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He had never been happier, even though he knew that his former self would have been properly angry at him for the place he was now. But without the drums, without that insatiable hunger, life with a human companion no longer seemed dull. And it wasn't dull. He would occasionally feel that dark, old anger crawling up, but one look at Clara Oswin grounded him.

Clara Oswin giggled and rolled her eyes. "There's a million special places in the universe. Where are we off to today?" she asked, repeating herself.

"We, my darling, are going to see the Festival of Offerings on the Rings of Akhaten," he said with a flourish of his arm and a punch on the control dial.

"Oooooo, sounds … awesome!" Clara Oswin said, hopping up from her seat and coming to stand beside Koschei. "What does the festival entail?"

"The Long Song," he said, simply, mysteriously. She raised her eyebrows at him and he continued. "It's this song that never stops, sung by the sun-singers of Aket. It's a system of seven planets that all orbit a star called Akhaten. The people of these planets believe that all life in the universe originated there. Every thousand years, the rings of Akhaten all line up, and the Festival of Offerings is held. It's a once in a life-time opportunity, unless you've got a time machine."

Clara Oswin nodded, bouncing a little bit in her excitement. "That sounds spectacular," she breathed.

He kissed her on the forehead. "I've seen it twice. Once with the Doctor when we were still in Academy and we temporarily stole a TARDIS, and once when I, uhm, was doing some reconnaissance."

"Reconnaissance?" she asked with an eyebrow raise.

"Yeah. I was looking into, ahem, mastery stuff. It didn't work out."

She rolled her eyes and was about to say something else when the TARDIS landed with that familiar noise. He waggled his eyebrows at her and ran over to open the door.

"Welcome to the Rings of Akhaten."

Out the TARDIS they marched, hand in hand into the eclectic marketplace. Clara Oswin looked around in awe, taking in the alien sights and people. Ultramanta, Lugalirakush, Eukanians, Pan-Bablyonians, and other people of different worlds that Koschei quietly pointed out to her.

Clara Oswin dropped his hand at the sight of a stall with ornate and intriguing clothes, the likes of which she had never seen. Picking up what resembled a blue and orange silk scarf, and she twirled it around her neck. "How much is it?" she asked, digging in her pockets for coins.

Koschei shook his head as she brought a few gold coins out of her pocket. "Oh no, that won't work. They don't use the regular sort of money here. They trade in items of sentimental value."

Clara Oswin looked a little shocked, and she unwound the scarf from her neck and placed it back on the table. "Seriously? I'm far too sentimental a person to give up anything. It doesn't sound like a very pleasant form of currency."

Koschei nodded. "Yeah, it isn't my favorite, but I've got some things I've collected along the way that I don't mind trading in." He pulled out a silver ring from his pocket and presented it to the shop clerk, a blue skinned woman with dreaded hair , who examined it carefully before nodding satisfactorily.

"This will buy you the scarf along with any one of the articles of clothing on the rack to your left," said the shop clerk, gesturing.

Clara Oswin looked delighted and quickly wound the scarf around her neck again before darting over to look through the clothing on display. "Where'd you get the ring?" she asked conversationally.

Koschei looked uncomfortable, but answered nonetheless. "It was, well, it was a wedding ring, actually."

"Whose?" she said back, giving him a little smile.

"Erm …" he trailed off. It had been his, when he had married Lucy all that time ago. The ring had enough sentimental value to buy a little something in the marketplace, but it wasn't exactly something he wanted to hold onto forever. "Well, it's mine, actually. Remember when I mentioned Lucy, my ex-wife? It was mine when we were married."

Clara Oswin nodded slowly. "Oh. Yeah. Okay."

"It doesn't mean anything to me now," he said, kissing her cheek. "I'm just happy it could buy you something you like."

She look relieved as she turned to give him a smile adorable enough to melt both his hearts, then looked back to the clothing. "Too many choices!" she said.

He chuckled, glad to be done with that particular conversation. "Maybe I should give you a little time. We can meet back here in 15 minutes?"

"Marvelous," she said without looking back at him. He shook his head, amused, and then left to go peruse the other venues of the marketplace.

He was walking peacefully, looking around slightly boredly to see if there was anything he wanted for himself, when all of a sudden, somebody slammed into him with a loud oof.

"Sorry!" chimed out a familiar voice. "I wasn't looking where I was going!"

Koschei raised his eyebrows. "What happened to your scarf?" he asked, tilting his head a little. "Did you pick out a new dress? I quite like it, this blue patterned thing," he said, gesturing to the girl's outfit.

She raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

Koschei was looking her over, and was confused too. "What happened to your hair, Clara Oswin? It's gotten longer in the last ten minutes."

"What? It's just Clara, for the record, how do you even know my name? Who are you? What are you talking about?" She shifted from one foot to the other and peered behind him. It looked like she had been in a hurry.

Koschei's stomach must have done a backflip as he realized what was happening. He felt a weird combination of shock, excitement, and nausea.

"Clara Oswald…" he said softly, slowly, taking in the girl before him. It was her. The original, but she obviously didn't recognize him, whether it be because this was before they had met, or after they had met and her memory had been wiped.

Clara looked nervous. "Who are you?" she repeated, her eyes wide, looking like she was trying to hide her fear. "Are you a friend of the Doctor's? We got separated, but it was only a few minutes ago. Did he form a search party or something?"

Koschei just gaped at her, unable to form any words. It was her. Her. Her. Her. Her. Her…

Clara tilted her head. "Are you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"It's you," he said weakly, the words barely crossing his lips. "It's you."

"I am honestly so confused right now," she said, taking a gentle step backwards, like she was about to make a run for it.

Koschei shut his eyes for a half second, willing himself to snap out of it. "Sorry," he said quickly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm, erm, sort of a friend of the Doctor's. The two of us have met before, but I think it may be in your future."

"Oh," she responded, nodding slowly, and then began rambling. "Yeah, it must be in my future. This is actually the first time I've traveled anywhere with the Doctor. That's … that's fascinating. Time travel, I mean, that you could possibly meet anyone out of order. I guess it makes sense, though, sort of. What's your name?"

He smiled a little, relieved that the girl before him seemed to understand, at least partially. So it was before they had ever met for her. Incredible. She was just as captivating as ever, of course. "Harold. It's your first time out, eh? That's pretty exciting, I must say."

She smiled back, just a little. "Yeah, it is incredible. But, uhm, I'm kind of trying to find a little girl right now, I think she's in trouble. Maybe we could chat later, you, me, and the Doctor?"

Koschei swallowed, thinking fast. "Actually, considering I'm from your future, I really can't afford to meet up with the Doctor and you later. It'll mess with the space time continuum. Actually, I don't think that we can even afford for you to remember seeing me." He looked sad, but he realized how important this all was. He couldn't jeopardize her future with him. If she had recognized him from this day, any number of things could have gone wrong.

She raised her eyebrows. "Well you've made a bit of an impression, I can't imagine how I'll just forget about it."

"Give me your hand," Koschei instructed.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, give me your hand. I know a trick. Don't worry, you won't forget anything else. It'll be like you hadn't even ran into me in the first place."

"O-okay," Clara said shakily, holding out her hand to the man she didn't yet know.

Koschei took her hand in his and shut his eyes, his own emotions and memories bubbling up. He was struck with the thought of how it had been so long since he had held this soft hand in his own, even if he was currently traveling with a girl who looked nearly identical. It was interesting, and it brought tears to his eyes. Clara Oswin's hands, actually, were a lot rougher than Clara's, probably because the girl from the 1940's had done more to work with her hands. The subtle differences struck him all at once. Different voices, due to one of them being American and the other British. Different hair styles. Different memories. It was overwhelming, in a sense.

He opened his eyes again, and looked straight into hers. He spoke deeply, summoning forth his powers of hypnotism. "Clara Oswald, forget who I am. This face before you, you have never seen it before. You were running, and you didn't run into anybody. You just kept running, looking for the girl you were chasing."

Clara's eyes glazed over, and Koschei dropped her hand, side stepping out of her line of sight. He watched as she came back to, looking a little confused before shrugging, brushing it off, and continuing in her chase after Merry Galel.

Koschei sunk to the ground, in shock. He sat there, staring at nothing, until he remembered that the Doctor was wandering around here somewhere and could easily run into Clara Oswin just as he ran into Clara.

He took off at a run back towards where he had left Clara Oswin and came to a sliding stop outside the clothings stall. "Clara Oswin. We have to go, now."

"What?" she said, turning towards him. "Why?"

"Because-because, I can't explain right now, we just have to leave," he said urgently, taking her arm. "C'mon. Now. I promise I have a good reason."

She looked unhappy, but gently folded the dress she had picked out over her other arm. "Alright, fine."

He nodded quickly, before letting go of her arm and grabbing her hand to drag her away from the marketplace towards where they had left the TARDIS, disguised as a door in a building.

They ran. A good five minutes later, they were inside, and Koschei was bringing the TARDIS out of the atmosphere into deep space. Clara Oswin sat down, running her fingers through her short hair, wondering what the hell had just happened. Finally, Koschei sat down beside her and took her hand, squeezing it gently. He was still in shock over having seen the original Clara, but being here with Clara Oswin, _his_ Clara Oswin, knowing that she was safe now, brought him relief. Looking into her eyes, he smiled haphazardly at her, thinking. He wouldn't rather be with anyone else in the world, he decided, this Clara Oswin Oswald.

"So. Explanation now?" a slightly stern voice spoke from beside him, bringing him out of his revere.

 **A/N: XOXO plz read and review and don't hate me for the cliff hanger ahahaha**


	14. Finale

Koschei sighed at Clara Oswin's insistence for an explanation. He was still shaken by seeing Clara, and he really didn't want to explain it. "I ran into someone from my past, and if we ran into her again or her companion, then we'd be in big trouble, and the space time continuum might utterly fall apart," he said, hoping that would be enough.

"Excuse me, what?" Clara Oswin asked, confused.

"I-I can't afford for them to see me."

"You can't afford for who to see you? I don't understand. Who are you hiding from?"

He was silent for a few moments, trying to figure out how to talk himself out of this, when he realized that maybe he shouldn't try to to talk himself out of it at all. "I have to tell you something."

She nodded, realizing how serious he looked. "Sure." Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.

"This is big. Let's go talk somewhere else.. In the library maybe?"

"Sure," she said again.

He took her hand, and they walked in silence down the halls of the TARDIS until they reached the library, which was magnificent but not nearly as magnificent as the one in the Snogbox. He sighed again at the thought.

They sat down awkwardly on the sofa by the entrance, and Koschei glanced away, not sure how to do it. How do you tell the girl you're in love with that she's the echo of someone you lost, the girl you originally fell in love with? How do you even begin to explain it? He was beginning to regret deciding to tell her. He wished he could just make up a lie, tell her something else, something that might actually make sense to her.

"Koschei … what's going on? Who did you run into on Akhet?"

"It's hard to explain. I don't where to start."

"Start from the beginning," she said softly.

Koschei couldn't help but smile, thinking of that first day with the feisty girl named Clara Oswald and how she'd shown him so much sass and contempt he couldn't help but fall in love with her. "It's a long story. I can't really tell you who it is without telling you this history, the story of how we met."

"Is it a good story?" asked Clara Oswin, calmed a little by the smile on his lips.

"It is the best of stories," he spoke. "It's a love story … ours actually. Sort of. It's going to be confusing. Very confusing. So bear with me?"

"Okay," she said gently, leaning in to give him a peck on the cheek. "Take your time."

"First, you should remember what I told you about my past. I'm not a good man. I'm a very bad man, actually, from your standards. I've been around for a long, long time, and I've caused a lot of harm. I met someone though. Well, actually, I kidnapped her to try to lure the Doctor into a trap. She hated me at first, naturally. Although I have to say we had a lot of chemistry right from the start."

Clara Oswin nodded, the news of his former villainy having been something they had already discussed.

"She saved me. She's the girl I told you about after church that one day. She has also saved the Doctor many, many times. Just like you saved him from getting hit by a car once."

Clara Oswin tried not to sigh. Yet again, she felt overshadowed by that other woman, the woman he had lost. She bit her lip, looking at him uncertainly. He was about to tell her that she didn't measure up, wasn't he? She felt she was about to learn that, despite his trying not to compare them, the other girl would always come out on top in his heart, and that running into her had simply confirmed it for him.

Koschei watched her changing expressions, wondering what she was thinking. It couldn't be good by the likes of it. "Uhm. This girl, her name … her name was Clara Oswald."

Clara Oswin raised her eyebrows, incredulous. "Excuse me? This famous, so amazing girl you lost shares a name with me?"

He coughed awkwardly. "She shares more than just a name with you."

"What does that even mean?"

"She … okay, remember how I'm a time traveler?"

She laughed a little bit. "How could I forget?" Pausing, something occurred to her. "Wait a minute. Is she like, my great-great granddaughter or something? Or maybe my great-great grandmother? Some distant ancestor or descendant?" Clara Oswin gaped at him, feeling slightly disgusted. She continued speaking before he could correct her. "You lost her. So you used your time-traveling abilities to seek out a relative who reminded you of her and happened to share a name and a history with the Doctor? Is that it?" She turned her face away, tears gathering in her eyes. "I'm like a replacement. An echo of the girl you really want."

Koschei's hearts beat at double the pace, curse words coursing through his mind. He hated seeing her in pain, but he couldn't help but feel there was some truth to what she had just said. She wasn't the descendant or ancestor of Clara Oswald, but she was an echo, just like she'd said. He swallowed heavily. She was also so much more than that.

Placing a hand on her cheek, he gently guided her head back toward his. "You're partly correct. Gosh, I hate to say it. But it wasn't intentional, and you aren't Clara Oswald's ancestor or descendant. Clara is a companion of the Doctor, and in a time of dire crisis, she stepped into his time stream, and divided herself into who knows how many pieces, scattered across the realm of time and space, with one goal—to save the Doctor."

"You do realize that everything you just said literally makes no sense, right?" she asked, her tears drying a little as the feeling of confusion set in.

He nodded, allowing a half smile to come to his face. "Yeah, I know. I barely understand it myself."

Clara Oswin gave a small chuckle, glad she wasn't quite alone in the boat of lack of understanding. A moment of silence passed between them before she spoke again. "What do you mean she divided herself? Is that how she died? You, her, and the Doctor were traveling together, and she gave up her life to save him? Man, that must have hurt."

Koschei shook his head. "No, no. I didn't meet her until after that happened. She didn't die from it. Maybe … maybe divided wasn't the best word. It's not like she was physically split apart. She was … multiplied, I guess? Different, autonomous versions of her were scattered across time and space. She told me she could retrieve some of their memories if she tried hard enough, and she occasionally had nightmares about them. Some of her echoes didn't live the best lives. A whole lot of them actually died saving the Doctor."

And then it clicked. "Not all of them died though. At least one of them survived, pushing him out of the way of a passing car," she said, her voice monotone as her eyes slightly glazed over, her thoughts turning inward as she began to question her life.

"Yeah," he breathed, taking her limp hand in his, watching the uncomfortable understanding wash over her.

"Am I even real?" she asked, her focus snapping back to him, and the kind look in his eyes.

Koschei snorted. "Of _course_ you are! You're flesh and blood, aren't you? You're just as real as me. You're just as real as the original Clara Oswald. You were born, and you have lived. How could you not be real?"

"I'm just an echo," she spoke faintly. "I'm a pale copy of the real thing. My whole existence is based off of a need to save the Doctor's life. I've done that. I'm of no value anymore."

"No." The fierceness in his voice caught her off guard. The words flowed from his hearts, himself having been thinking all of it over in his head since the day he ran into the original Clara on Akhaten. "You, Clara Oswin Oswald, are most certainly of value, and not just because I am in love with you. And no, I don't just love you because you're an echo of Clara Oswald. You're similar to her, yes, but you do have differences. And honest to God, I am in love with those differences. Clara Oswin Oswald, you are an amazing, beautiful, spectacular person all on your own. And yes, maybe I did fall faster because I fell for her first, but you know what? If I had never met Clara Oswald and had met you instead, I would have fallen all the same. I love you. Sure, I miss her sometimes and probably always will, but if I had the chance to be reunited with her right now and leave you behind, I wouldn't do it. Seeing her, having the slightest chance of going off with her again, it just confirmed it. I'd choose you, any day or time or place in space. Always."

Clara Oswin Oswald had no choice but to burst into tears, and he wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest, peace and contentment, joy and relief flooding through her system. When the weeping had died down a bit, she looked up at him, and he gently wiped the tears from her eyes as she smiled at the fact that his eyes were gushing as well.

"I love you too, Koschei. I choose you too. Always and forever."

And they lived happily ever after, even though it wasn't truly forever. And on that day when she passed from this life, he held her hand and kissed it as she spoke her last, bidding him forward with his life. "Run, you clever boy, and remember me."

The End

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading the sequel to Lunatic! I hope you enjoyed it. I apologize for the erratic updating, my life has gotten pretty busy, and although I had the story finished since the summer, I sort of just kept forgetting to update. Lunatic meant a lot to me, and while the sequel isn't as dear to me, I hope that you enjoyed it nonetheless.**

 **I was greatly saddened by the infrequency of reviews for this story though. Reviews inspire me, and I didn't get the kind of feedback for this story that I did for Lunatic, which honestly sapped me of a lot of my motivation for it. To the few of you who have reviewed and consistently reviewed, thank you. You mean the world to me.**

 **A special special thanks to Eleni, who doesn't have an account here (and thus can not be PMed) but found my story through pinterest and always leaves the sweetest reviews.**

 **Thank you to Dogwin , for always leaving the most detailed reviews, every single chapter. You're my best friend IRL, and without you reminding me to update a few times, I may not have updated at all. Also, it was funny that one time you were borrowing my computer and accidentally reviewed my story using my account. Whoops. xD**

 **Thank you to LadyLini, for beta-reading the first ten chapters of this story back when I was writing around two years ago. I hope that one day you get back online and like how I wound up finishing this.**

 **To those of you who have never reviewed, I thank you for at least reading my story, and it would mean so so much to me if you would at least review this last chapter. It would probably make my week if you reviewed. The favorites and the follows I appreciate, but nothing makes me happier than a review, even the smallest comment on my story.**

 **Farewell, dear reader, until we meet again.**


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